Austurland: Designs from Nowhere at DesignMarch

 DesignMarch 2014 Iceland’s biggest design fair is currently ongoing and is hosting a series of workshops produced by four designers who collaborated with local industry players. The result is  products with stunning contemporary designs utilizing materials sourced within the locality. Their works are now on display at the Spark Design Space in Reykjavik with an exhibition titled “Austurland: Designs from Nowhere.”

Four designers, Porunn Arnadottir, Max Lamb, Gero Grundmann and Julia Lohmann collaborated with skilled locals from Egilsstaðir, Djúpivogur, Eskifjörður, Vopnafjörður and Norðfjörður. In the autumn of 2013, the collaborating group shared skills and knowledge, understanding design processes, and learning how to develop the potentials of locally-sourced materials.
Max Lamb explored the hills of Djúpivogur and learned how to create something out of found rock. Arnadottir learned how to do net-making in the workshop. Lohmann and Grundmann went into the coastal town of Borgarfjörður to learn how driftwood and seaweed can help them create their new designs.
The products that are now on show have a very diverse and intriguing collection which has intrinsic stories within them. The designers were able to combine old and new techniques and demonstrated a wide range of projects from collaborative resources and skills.
Aside from that, the designers also worked with specialists in the field such as Vilmundur Þorgrímsson, a geology expert from Djúpivogur.
The Sparks Design Space now exhibits works made from reindeer antler, seaweed, driftwood, volcano rock and fishing nets.
Their unique contributions to the design processes can be seen in the exhibited work, which makes use of fishing net, reindeer antler, seaweed and driftwood, as well as volcano rock.

DesignMarch 2014 runs from March 27 to March 30. Aside from the Sparks Design Space, visitors can also attend other exhibits and participate in other events happening all around Reykjavik.